Mumbai: Ramdas Athawale slams MNS chief Raj Thackeray for 'anti quota' remarks

Ramdas Athawale. File Pic

Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday asked Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray to withdraw his "anti-reservation" remarks or else Dalits and backward classes will boycott MNS candidates in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections 2024, reported the PTI.

Ramdas Athawale said that Raj Thackeray's remarks on reservations were uncalled for.

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Speaking to reporters in Pandharpur town in Maharashtra, Raj Thackeray had on Monday said that the local people should be given priority in job opportunities.

"My stance is that locals should be given priority in job opportunities. Why should caste be a factor in this? If the private sector continues to create jobs, we should think about how many people will benefit from reservation in government jobs," the MNS chief had said, according to the PTI.

Slamming Raj Thackeray, Ramdas Athawale, MOS for Social Justice, stated, "If he doesn't withdraw his remarks, Dalits, Adivasis, and OBCs should boycott MNS candidates in the Maharashtra assembly polls".

Raj Thackeray also said all communities must understand they are being fooled for votes.

"The ongoing political scenario involves using someone as a proxy to push their agenda, neglecting the needs of students from OBC, Maratha, and other communities," he had said, sparking protests by Maratha quota agitators.

Maratha community members, led by activist Manoj Jarange, have been demanding inclusion in the OBC (Other Backward Classes) category.

Ramdas Athawale-led Republican Party of India (A), an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), wields influence on Dalit votes in some pockets of Maharashtra.

The elections for 288-member assembly are due in October this year.

Change of govt inevitable in Maharashtra after assembly polls: Patole

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Tuesday expressed confidence that a change in the government was inevitable in the state after the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, reported the PTI.

On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's three-day Delhi visit starting Tuesday, Patole said the former Maharashtra chief minister will meet Congress leadership in the national capital.

"They will discuss a strategy about how to defeat the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra," he said, as per the PTI.

Uddhav Thackeray will hold talks with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over the prevailing political situation in the state, he added.

The Congress leader said seat-sharing talks for the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), will be held in Mumbai and not Delhi.

Assembly elections in Maharashtra are likely to be held in October this year.

(with PTI inputs